Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Just so you know, I've got a lot of real life stuff going on right now, so I may take two or three days to reply. Sorry for the wait!

EDIT: @Buzzbee I actually had some time today, so nevermind XD
I will be busy all of tomorrow and most of Friday, though, so expect slow replies for a bit!

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix walked with Cassie back to their room. As they returned to the more populated parts of the caves, the humans began to take notice of them. Many of them stared at Serix with an odd mixture of interest and disgust. They probably didn’t trust him even though the proof of his innocence had been found and verified. Stubborn fools. He glared at them whenever he met their unfriendly gazes. There was no remorse in their eyes for what they had done, and it frustrated him. It wasn’t that he wanted their pity —no, they could keep any murmurs of sympathy to themselves— he just wanted to see at least a hint of regret in their faces for torturing an innocent male. Instead, the humans were so blinded by bias and hatred for what he was that they were unwilling to accept who he was. Thus, the cold stares and whispers persisted.

When they got back to their room, Serix immediately sat down on the bed. He closed his eyes and let out his breath slowly. The walk from the hold hadn’t been very long, but he still felt exhausted. He had only eaten once in the past three days, and he hadn’t had a single drink of water. On top of that, his body was spending large amounts of energy to repair the gashes in his back, which left him even more fatigued. He planned to spend as much time as he could sleeping and letting himself recover during their permitted day of rest.

Serix felt Cassie sit down beside him. She sighed and he opened his eyes, meeting her blue gaze. Then, she leaned forward and they kissed. He longed to hold her in his arms as he had when they first arrived in the hold, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t risk getting close enough to her that she might accidently brush against the cuts on his back and shoulders. And so, he was forced to content himself with the short brush of their lips before Cassie pulled away again to speak.

“I love you, Serix,” she said, resting her forehead against his.

“I love you, too, Cassie,” Serix breathed. He wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but stopped when he heard a sound from the front of the room. He glanced up to see a young, light-haired female standing in the doorway with two plates of food. She stared at him with one wide, round eye —the other one was veiled by her hair— and tensed as if he might try to attack her. Serix felt a pang of irritation. It was his first time meeting this girl! What basis did she have to judge him as a danger? He looked away so the human wouldn’t see the frustration in his eyes. He didn’t want to scare her off. After all, he was hungry and she did have food.

“I-I’m Terra,” the girl paused uncertainly. “Y-you two missed breakfast… I thought you both might be hungry, so I-I mean... here.” She handed the plates to Cassie before hurrying out of the room.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that girl was scared of a mouse,” Cassie smiled and handed one of the plates to Serix. “She’s so skittish.”

“I’ll say,” Serix muttered, lifting a forkful of food to his mouth. As he ate, he wondered what their lives were going to look like in the caves from now on. There was already tension so thick between him and the humans it could almost be cut with a knife. It would be a while before he was ready to trust any of them again. Then there was the new probation period Ryan was going to put him on. He loathed the thought of being observed by another human all day long, especially after everything that had just happened.

Serix was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn’t notice Cassie get up from her spot and move around behind him. He watched her in confusion before he realized what she was going to do. “Cassie—” he started, but she had already put her hands on his shoulders. He sucked in his breath when a fresh wave of pain washed over him. There was no hiding that reaction. Cassie jerked her hands away in surprise, and, before he could stop her, she lifted his shirt to see why he had flinched. She gasped and then grew silent, and he closed his eyes. This was why he didn’t want her to see. He didn’t want her to worry for his sake when there was nothing either of them could do. He should have tried harder to keep the gashes hidden from her.

Suddenly, Serix felt her take his face in her hands and lift his lips to hers. He kissed her back, reaching tentatively to place his hands on her sides. After a moment, they parted and Cassie broke the silence. “I… I am so sorry, Serix… I… I can’t believe they did that to you…” she whispered. “Serix… do you… do you think we should leave?”

“I don’t know what I think,” Serix shook his head, running a hand through his hair and averting his gaze. “I’m sorry, too. You shouldn’t have to keep dealing with this… with me.” He sighed and went on softly, “I didn’t want you to see what they did. You didn’t need that burden.” He looked up at her again. “You actually fit in here, Cassie. I don’t want to ruin that for you.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow froze when he heard the sound of quiet rustling in the foliage behind them, followed by the snap of a twig. In the next instant, Penelope began to reach towards her boot. She probably had a weapon hidden inside, which wasn’t surprising since she still didn’t trust him. Before retrieving the weapon, however, she paused and seemed to change her mind, instead slipping her hand into her pocket and pulling out the key to the chains that bound their wrists. In one swift motion, the knight freed their hands and began to move for her boot again, but their enemy was much quicker.

“A knight without her sword is about as useful as a thief with no hands,” a cold, feminine voice taunted as a blade appeared beside Penelope’s throat.

Crow whirled around to see a blonde woman standing over Penelope. She dressed like a wolf in sheepskin. She was adorned with the ragged, woolen clothes of a peasant, but he could see that she was of a higher class than she wanted to let on. Her skin was clear, her hands had no calluses, and she smelled like she had recently bathed. He eyed her warily. Just how long had this woman been tracking them? He hadn’t heard a single sound from her until only a few moments ago. Her stealth was impressive, even to him. She also didn’t look half bad. It was a pity that she wanted to kill them, otherwise he might have been tempted to try and steal a kiss or three.

While the woman was busy threatening Penelope, Crow reached into his own boot and retrieved the dagger he had taken from the wagon. He sprang forward, knocking the attacker’s sword away from Penelope’s neck and forcing her to the ground. He held the dagger up for her to see, “Unfortunately for you, this thief does have hands.”

“Get off of me!” the woman snarled, struggling to escape from Crow’s grasp. As she spoke, her eyes darted back towards the woods she had come out of. The single glance told Crow all he needed to know: She had backup out there. They had to move quickly.

“Sorry about this, darling,” Crow said. He spun the dagger around in his hand and used the butt of the weapon to deal one quick strike to the noblewoman’s head. She fell unconscious and he climbed to his feet with a sigh, muttering to himself, “I hate hitting women.” He turned to face Penelope. “We should run before her friends get here. She’s not alone.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay, thanks :)

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

So for context in my next post: is the woman who attacked them alone or are there others? Also, does she only have a blade pointed at Penelope or is she targeting Crow, too?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As they sat beside the edge of the water, Crow glanced at Penelope from the corner of his eye. The reflection of the water rippled across her face as she stared into it, making her look like almost ghostly. Her demeanor had changed a bit as well, he noticed. She seemed much more tranquil once they had reached the pond. It was a side he had never seen in her before, and in that moment, he found it difficult to view her with the same prejudices he held against the other knights. She almost looked like a young peasant woman, rather than a member of the king’s army. He found that he was relaxing a bit as well, despite himself.

He stretched out his legs and leaned back on his hands, closing his eyes serenely as a soft breath of wind rustled his dark hair. It really was peaceful, sitting there by the edge of the water. He had often taken moments alone like this before he went to prison, as he had always enjoyed seizing opportunities to stop and clear his head.

Even though part of his plan was to get the knight to trust him, Crow wondered if he was being a bit too vulnerable with her. Relaxing beside the pond, he realized he had almost completely let his guard down. He had even shared a piece of his background with Penelope, which was something he hadn’t originally intended to do. The less she knew about him, the better. He would have to be more careful about what he said to her in the future.

“... Crow, right?” Penelope said uncertainly, breaking the silence.

He opened his eyes again and stared at her in surprise. It was the first time he had ever heard a knight call him by his first name. A few of his prison guards had referred to him by his surname, Lockton, but the majority of knights he had met in his lifetime just called him “Thief.” She sounded so nervous when she spoke his name too. Her discomfort was amusing, but it also felt like she had somehow bridged an invisible gap between them. Until now, she had always treated him like a lowly criminal. For all he knew, she still thought of him that way, but now that she had used his name he felt hopeful that he could put an end to that. He just had to play his cards right. Maybe this was the moment he had been waiting for—the moment when he could turn the situation around in his favor; when he could begin truly plotting his escape.

After a brief pause, Crow smiled at her, “Yeah.” He turned back to the moonlit pond. “I’m glad at least one of you bothered to remember my name. I was beginning to think I was doomed to be called ‘Thief’ or ‘Idiot’ forever.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix slept deeply that night while his body worked to heal itself. He didn’t even wake up when the first guard entered the hold in the morning. Well, not until the human began rapping his cell bars with something metal, that is. He groaned irritably and looked up to see Ryan standing on the other side of the divide, holding a key in his hand. Serix’s heart skipped a beat when, for a moment, he thought he had slept through the entire day and the human was here to bring him back to the interrogation room for another beating. Then, he noticed that Ryan was alone. He let out his breath in relief. If it was time for another interrogation, the human would have brought others along to drag him there.

“I have things to do, so I’ll make this quick,” Ryan said, getting straight to the point. Serix forced himself to sit up as he listened to what the human had to say. “We investigated that tunnel by the river, and it looks like the intruder did use it to get in. That blood on the rocks was his. Also,” he hesitated as if he was reluctant to go on. “The blood was six days old. The only time you were unaccounted for was the night of the bonfire, which was only five days ago. So congratulations, it looks like you have an alibi, after all.” He unlocked the cell door and moved aside for Serix to step through.

“I’m glad you finally realized I was telling you the truth,” Serix spat at him as he rose slowly to his feet. “And all it took was a little bloodstain on a rock. Who would have guessed?” He shot Ryan a glare as he walked past him to get out of the cell, opening a brief mental link into the male’s mind, If you tell Cassie anything about the interrogation, I might actually turn into a threat you should worry about.

“Same to you,” Ryan hissed under his breath, returning the Lunairan’s cold stare. He stepped over to Cassie’s cell to unlock her door next and offered her a smile. “Since you’ve been in here for three days, you should take today off from work. I want you to rest and get your strength back, okay, Cass?” He glanced back at Serix. “You can rest, too, I s’pose. After today, I’m putting you on level-two probation. Someone will be assigned to keep an eye on you at all hours of the day until I’m absolutely certain you had nothing to do with that break-in.” He turned back to Cassie, putting a hand on her shoulder to direct her towards the exit. “Lunch is in four hours. You should get some sleep before then, alright?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow eyed Penelope with interest. By the color in her cheeks, he could tell that she was lying to save face from something. He wondered what was so personal about the reason that she would keep it to herself. However, he decided to drop the subject. It wasn’t that important, and besides, he had his own secrets. She could keep hers if she wished.

“Anyways, exactly where are we headed?” Penelope spoke up, changing the subject. “You had better not be an idiot and get us lost.”

“You’ll see,” Crow answered with a dramatic air of mystery. “And don’t worry, I won’t get us lost. Villages aren’t that difficult to navigate.” He stopped swinging his arm and looked around again. In truth, he might have been able to find his way back, but he had no idea where he was going to begin with. His references to find this place were an old map and a hunch, neither of which were very reliable. For all he knew, the place he wanted to see didn’t even exist anymore. But what did that matter? Hunting for it was half the fun.

Crow turned down a different street and caught sight of a sign pointing towards the woods. It was faded and overgrown with vines, so he almost missed it, but it was enough to convince him that he was going in the right direction. He grinned at Penelope and tugged on the chain again, “This way. It should be right over here.” He led her to the end of the road, where the stone pavement gave way to soil and trees. Instead of stopping, however, he continued walking beyond the edge of the village and into the forest.

After a while, Crow found what he had been searching for.

In a small clearing, there was a pond encircled by small, ancient relics. Underneath the moon and stars, the surface of the water seemed to glow with an unearthly light. He stepped close to the edge and gazed out over it, speaking quietly to himself, “So it is here.” He glanced at Penelope and laughed bashfully. “I bet you want an explanation, right? I mean, why would a thief be interested in some water? It’s completely absurd.” He sat down and gave the chain another small tug, gesturing for her to do the same, and then turned back to the pond. “There’s an old myth about this place back in the outer villages. It’s believed that this pond is a looking glass for the gods who watch over our kingdom, and, after seeing it for myself, I can understand why they would think that. It’s near the heart of the kingdom, and it does look like something touched by holy beings.” He shrugged and looked back at Penelope. “I guess I just figured we might as well pay a visit while we’re in the area, you know?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow gave Penelope a mildly surprised look when she asked him if he had any place in mind that they could visit. He wasn’t expecting her to ask him a question like that. It was almost as if she cared about his opinion, but surely that couldn’t be the case. Perhaps she had grown tired of wandering aimlessly and didn’t want to suggest a place, herself? Still, it was oddly satisfying to hear someone of the noble class ask him to share his thoughts on something. It had never happened before, with the exception of his prison guards sarcastically asking if he wanted help escaping from his cell.

“I’ve never been here before, remember?” Crow rolled his eyes. He looked around, trying to envision the location of the village in context with the rest of the kingdom. He might have grown up as an illiterate peasant, but he had seen at least a few books with pictures of their homeland. On their journey, they had been heading north from the central towns. He estimated that they were still only halfway to the outer villages, which meant…

“Actually,” he spoke up after a moment’s thought. “There is a place I’ve wanted to see. I think it’s somewhere in this area.” He tugged on the chain that bound their hands, leading the knight northeast.

As they walked, he was mostly concerned with rehearsing his old stealth techniques, but his mind wandered to other things as well. Every time they passed the home of a rich merchant or lord, he would habitually glance into the window and estimate the value of the objects he could see, and then guess the level of security that protected said objects. Overall, there wasn’t anything that particularly caught his eye, so he gave up his examination. It wasn’t like he could go and steal something anyways. Penelope would never let him get away with it.

Thinking about the knight, Crow pondered again why she had gotten the sudden urge to take a walk in the dead of night. He glanced at her curiously. She didn’t look like the type to suffer from wanderlust. But if it wasn’t that, then what made her want to leave the inn? He wondered if he could coax the reason out of her.

“I’ve always liked the night,” he said suddenly, tilting his head back to look up at the stars. “The darkness has always helped me cover my tracks when I steal from nobles, but it’s also very peaceful.” He turned back to her and smiled in a friendly manner. “Daytime is so busy. It’s nice to take a break from it all and clear my head. So,” he swung his chained hand, playfully forcing Penelope to follow his motion. “I told you my reason for wanting to go on this walk. Now it’s your turn. Why did you want to come out here tonight?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow stifled a grin as Penelope gave in and grabbed the key from off the table and quietly unlocked his chain cuff from the bedpost. To his amusement, she attached it to her own wrist so they were bound together. He raised a brow at her curiously. That was a bold move. Physically, he was stronger than she was, and if he wanted to turn on her when they were alone, the chain would put her at an even further disadvantage by hindering her movement and preventing her from getting away. He would have thought it would be simpler to just bring a sword if she wanted to keep him in line. But there was no changing the woman’s mind once she had made it up, so he kept his opinion to himself.

“It’s much too early in the morning for me to be worrying about if you’re going to take off or not,” Penelope murmured in her defense.

“Right,” Crow drawled sarcastically, rising to his feet. Standing so close to her now, he snuck a glance at her face. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but it seemed like she was uncomfortable being chained to him. It’s like she thinks she’s going to catch a criminal bug or something, he thought irritably.

He followed the knight as she stepped towards the door. It was then that the thief realized another plus to their little midnight adventure. It would give him an opportunity to practice his stealth. Back in prison, he hadn’t had much room to work on his movement techniques. Fortunately, much of it had become habit, but he still felt a bit rusty. He wasn’t quite as light-footed as he used to be, and he even managed to step on a loose floorboard before he exited the room. He winced at the soft creak it made. A year ago, he never would have made such a careless mistake.

Once they were outside, Crow held up his chained wrist and winked at Penelope, “You know, you could have just asked to hold my hand if you want me to stay beside you. That would have been much more comfortable than this wretched piece of metal.” He shook his head and sighed.

“Anyway,” He glanced at her mischievously and leaned forward in a bow. “Where would m’lady like to go tonight?”